Trailer smell sends man to hospital

TAMPA -- Tampa Fire Rescue workers were summoned to a house on N Lincoln Avenue, where a man reported being exposed to an unknown gas inside of the travel trailer he had just bought about two weeks ago.

The man was treated by paramedics and sent to St. Joseph's Hospital. The incident began when Daniel Green, 59, had heard the carbon monoxide alarm sounding inside the 40-foot Winnebago and went inside to investigate.

The gas inside made him sick and he called 911. A Tampa Fire Marshal's investigator could not find any obvious source of carbon monoxide since there was no generator running, according to a Tampa Fire Rescue report.

Tampa Fire Rescue Hazmat team members were called, and they went into the vehicle in protective gear. Their carbon monoxide meter didn't register any gas, but rescuers on scene reported a strong, sulfur-like odor from the vehicle. Investigators concluded the waste tank was probably full and needed attention.

"The vehicle was left for the owner to take care of," Tampa Fire Captain Bill Wade said in a statement.

Justin George, Times staff writer